Recently a new description of Trump slipped our discussion of what’s the problem with Trump. Solipsism. Conservative writer Charles Krauthammer is given credit. IMHO, Krauthammer way overthinks Trump’s personality and problem.
Merriam-Webster defines solipsism as:
a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing
Wikipedia has this to say:
Solipsism is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. As an epistemological position, solipsism holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure; the external world and other minds cannot be known and might not exist outside the mind. As a metaphysical position, solipsism goes further to the conclusion that the world and other minds do not exist.
Wikipedia goes on to discuss much more than the mere definition. We’re not here to discuss the philosophy of solipsism, but only to say it gives Trump an out that he doesn’t deserve.
Trump is an adolescent. He’s never really had to make adult decisions that impacted him negatively with immediate consequence. Trump is more like Jack from Lord of the Flies. Trump’s embrace of Kavanaugh as well as his feeling kindred to Putin, KJU, the Saudis and other authoritarians is emblematic of his recognition of who he is. Appealing to the most base and vile in people allows him to grant that he’s no different in thought from others, he’s just more special because he has the big brain.
If you step back you can see the entire GOP is like Jack’s tribe. Full of conspiracies and forever jealous of what the others have. Coveting and control are what they seek. Trump for now appears to be the chief among chiefs, but there are those below him who are sure they have manipulated him into doing their bidding. This cannot be sustained.
Each of us has to do our part to keep the country at large from being consumed by the coming self-immolation of the Republican Party. The country has already suffered damage and there will be more and not just to our country. We have to hope we can contain it and minimize what damage is still to come.